A new light show is coming to Uluru on 1 August. However, this won’t be a nighttime spectacular, but a pre-dawn display that promises to kickstart guests’ days in the Red Centre with wonder.
Called Sunrise Journeys, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia’s new art experience will turn the desert into a canvas as it reimagines a bespoke painting created by three Anangu artists – Selina Kulitja (Maruku Arts), Denise Brady (Kaltukatjara Art) and Valerie Brumby (Walkatjara Art) – using lasers and projectors.
As indigenous iconography begins to appear across the dark landscape, the imagery will be paired with sounds by Anangu musician and composer, Jeremy Whiskey.
Visual experience creator Mandylights, who has worked on Vivid Sydney and international festivals, collaborated on the Uluru project.
Titled Ngura Nganampa Wiṟu Mulapa, the painting means “our Country is truly beautiful” in Pitjantjatjara and depicts the artists’ shared connection to Anangu culture and Country. The original piece can be viewed at the Gallery of Central Australia (GoCA).
“Our hearts burn with passion to share our Country and knowledge with the world. As the sun rises, we look forward to creating a future together,” artist Denise Brady says of the collaboration.
Viewers will take in the journey from a floating platform overlooking Uluru and Kata Tjuta. After the display, guests will enjoy a breakfast of native flavours paired with Aussie chai tea.
The daily 2.5-hour Sunrise Journeys experience will cost $125 for adults and $75 for children, including breakfast and return coach transfers.
Also launching on 1 August will be an Australian Native High Tea, a 1.5-hour culinary experience at the Sails in the Desert hotel, priced at $75 for adults and $45 for children.
Combining sweet petits fours and savoury light bites with tea, coffee and Australian sparkling wine, the new experience promises to put a local spin on a traditional favourite, highlighted by the use of native ingredients.
Hip, hip hooray!
The two new experiences were unveiled at the 40th birthday celebrations of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia’s Ayers Rock Resort in Sydney on Wednesday night.
Speaking to guests at the big bash, Voyages Managing Director Matt Cameron Smith reflected on the journey Ayers Rock Resort has taken over the years – from a new hotel that brought with it “the start of infrastructure” at Yulara to the iconic property it is today.
He also highlighted the experiences Voyages and the resort have introduced over the years, from the award-winning Sounds of Silence dining experience (which Smith said started as “literally like a Bunnings table, some stackable chairs and a bbq”) and visually spectacular Field of Light (“probably one of our most Instagram experiences”) to the highest-rated ‘hatted’ dining experience in the Northern Territory Tali Wiru up to the world’s biggest daily drone show and cultural storytelling experience, Wintjiri Wiru, which launched just last year.
“Part of our responsibility we believe at Voyages, is to educate and share as well to provide amazing experiences for our guests,” Smith told attendees, among whom were representatives from Tourism Australia, Tourism Northern Territory and AAT Kings along with travel industry professionals, media and other stakeholders. A notable guest was Philip Cox of Cox Architecture, who designed the Ayers Rock Resort.
Another responsibility has been to help nurture indigenous employment at the resort, which Smith said had grown from five staff when the property first opened to 215 employees today. That number had been even higher (at around 300) before COVID, when two in five (38 per cent) workers at the hotels were indigenous Australians.
Tripling of guests
Naturally, guest numbers have also grown significantly over the years. According to Smith, the property welcomed around 100,000 visitors when it first opened.
“We now welcome around 250,000 guests per year and that will grow in ’25 we believe to about 300,000,” he added.
This will be helped by partnerships with Qantas and Jetstar, who have multiple direct services to Uluru, as well as Virgin Australia, who will be returning to Uluru on 5 June with four-times-weekly Melbourne services and three-times-weekly Brisbane flights.
“So we’re back up to 31 flights per week, which is fantastic,” Smith said.
Hopefully that extra connectivity will help boost international visitation to Uluru.
Speaking to Karryon at the event, the Voyages boss said that the domestic market currently accounted for around 70 per cent of business, with overseas visitors making up the rest. However, traditionally, that was around half/half, he said. More flights, the two new experiences and Wintjiri Wiru might help restore that balance.
New Qantas video
During the birthday event, which was held at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), guests were also treated to an exclusive preview of a short documentary that chronicled the development of the Wintjiri Wiru experience.
Smith said the new 10-minute film will make its way onto Qantas planes shortly.
“It will be shown globally in the inflight system coming up in the next couple of months,” he revealed.
Last year, Wintjiri Wiru won two prestigious awards at the 36th Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards.
